The Gundam franchise is one of the longest-running and most respected in anime history. Kicking off in 1979, entries have steadily been releasing through 2021 with signs of more to come.
Whether you’re new to the franchise or a returning fan looking for the best way to relive the memories from over the years, there’s no better time to watch Gundam than right now. There are plenty of different ways to go about doing this even when sticking just to its main timeline, the Universal Century (UC). For some, the chronological order is the best way to go, but for others, the change in animation quality can be jarring, meaning that you might want to stick to the release order.
Here are two different ways that you can check out the content within the Mobile Suit Gundam UC.
Gundam UC chronological watch order
As with any other franchise that is filmed out of order, you can choose to watch Gundam in order of release or chronologically. Here’s how to watch in chronological order.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (OVA)
The first entry into the Gundam universe isn’t the original series, but rather the six-episode OVA Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, which launched in 2015. The series details the events leading to the main series story adapting from manga volumes nine to 12. If you’re unable to find Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin’s six-episode run, then you can instead watch Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Advent of the Red Comet, which is a televised version of the OVA series.
Mobile Suit Gundam
Next up in your watch should be the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. Kicking off in 1979, the series ran for 43 episodes before it wrapped up in 1980. The series takes fans into the world of Gundam starting off with the Earth Federation testing their new piloted robot to help out in taking on the Principality of Zeon.
The original series is available both in Japanese, like the original, and in English, which aired a decade after the original starting in 2001. If you’d prefer, you can watch the three movies Mobile Suit Gundam: The Movie, Soldiers of Sorrow, and Encounters in Space, which will take you through the story of the original series.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (OVA)
As you continue with the chronological run of Gundam, The 08th MS Team is up next. This series ran for 12 episodes and told the story of a battle taking place during the One Year War. As you’re binging the season, you again have a choice to make. You can watch all 12 episodes or you can check out the recap movie Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team: Miler’s Report, which provides some extra detail on events between episodes eight and nine.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (OVA)
Another OVA series, War in the Pocket is a six-episode run that takes place shortly after the events of The 08th MS Team. The release celebrated the 10th anniversary of the franchise and was the first to be directed by another writer that wasn’t Yoshiyuki Tomino. This is a side story that takes place during the One Year War.
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (ONA)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt launched in 2015. The series takes place during the One Year War and includes eight episodes. Alternatively, you can watch the recap movies December Sky and Bandit Flower if you’d prefer.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (OVA)
Stardust Memory takes place after the One Year War and follows Zeon intelligence as it takes back a nuclear Gundam being developed by a former Zeon member and soldiers that were sent to Earth as part of Operation Stardust. In response, the Earth Federation sends out a crew led by Albion to take back the Gundam. This OVA runs for 13 episodes and again, you can opt to watch the recap movie The Afterglow of Zeon instead.
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
The next main series in your watch should be Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. This series aired in 1985 and includes 50 episodes. Taking place years after the One Year War, this series follows a group of titans sent out to destroy the remaining Zeon from the galaxy. Like pretty much all of Gundam’s entries, you can watch this series in movie form instead. If you choose to do this, then you’ll want to watch Heir to the Stars, Lovers, and Love is the Pulse of the Stars.
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Taking place a year later, the next series is Mobile Gundam ZZ. The series follows directly from the previous series in the franchise, so to avoid spoilers we won’t be sharing any info on its plot. There is no other way to watch this story outside of the series, so make sure you binge through the whole thing before going forward.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (movie)
To break up the series you’ve been watching, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack is a film that follows the battle between Char Aznable and Amuro Ray. The film initially debuted in Japan in 1988 before receiving its American release in 2002.
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (OVA)
One of the more recent Gundam series, Unicorn was first aired in 2010, and this seven-episode run takes place a year after the previous movie. The series was also released as a TV compilation series called Mobile Suit Gundam: RE:0096. With 22 episodes, you can choose which of these releases you’d prefer to check out, as they tell the same story.
Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative (movie)
A year after Unicorn, another movie takes place in the form of Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative. This 2018 film sees both The Federation and Neo-Zeon working together despite their differences to capture a rogue suit that is causing havoc.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway (movie)
The latest entry into the Gundam franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway launched directly on Netflix and provides one of the most impressive-looking experiences to date. The story follows Hathaway Noa as he takes action against The Earth Federation; however, things change after he meets a strange woman.
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (movie)
Another film in the Gundam universe that launched in 1991, as the name suggests, the F91 Gundam takes focus in the movie as Seabook and his allies use the new machinery to lead the colonies to survival.
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam takes place after the events of Mobile Suit Gundam F91. At this point, the Earth Federation is struggling and hoping that the Victory Gundam can save them from the incoming invasion. There are 51 episodes of the series to binge through. This is another series in the franchise that doesn’t have any recap movies, so you’ll want to watch it the whole way through.
Turn A Gundam
One of the last series in the timeline is Turn A Gundam. This show takes place a long time after the events of the previous series, so things in this story are much different. You can watch this or the recap films Turn A Gundam I: Earth Light and Gundam II: Moonlight Butterfly.
Gundam Reconguista In G
The last series in the timeline so far is Gundam Reonguista in G. This series is also set in the distant future, so its story isn’t completely connected to previous works. With the help of the G-Self, Bellri Zenam looks to write the fate of the Regild Century in this 26-episode series.
Gundam UC release order
If you’re looking to experience all that Gundam has to offer in order of release, here’s the proper order to do that in:
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
- Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (Movie)
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0800: War in the Pocket (OVA)
- Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (Movie)
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (OVA)
- Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
- Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (OVA)
- Turn A Gundam
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (OVA)
- Gundam Reconguista in G
- Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin (OVA)
- Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (ONA)
- Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative (Movie)
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway (Movie)
These are all the releases that take place in the Gundam UC. Turn A Gundam and Gundam Reconguista take place in the distant future, so they can be removed from the watchlist or checked out last. It’s entirely up to you.
If you’re looking for more Gundam action after binging this list, there are plenty of other spinoffs from the franchise that can be found online. These can be watched in any order, as they don’t directly affect the main timeline.
